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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288404">Give and Take</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iciseria/pseuds/Iciseria'>Iciseria</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/virtuous_contract/pseuds/virtuous_contract'>virtuous_contract</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wish Fulfilment [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Beads, Anal Sex, BDSM, Blindfolds, Bondage, Bottom Angeal Hewley, Consensual Kink, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub Play, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Gags, Healthy Relationships, Love, M/M, Oral Sex, PWP, Porn with Feelings, Relationship(s), Restraints, Safe Sane and Consensual, Shameless Smut, Smut, Spreader Bars, Sweet, Top Zack Fair, so much love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:01:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iciseria/pseuds/Iciseria, https://archiveofourown.org/users/virtuous_contract/pseuds/virtuous_contract</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’d like to try it again, Zack. I think… When I see you, when I hear you or touch you, I feel like I’m not doing my part if I’m not actively satisfying you. So, I want to try taking those options out of the equation. It seems like a blindfold, gag, and restraints would remedy that.”</p><p>Angeal gets better at being a top by spending time on the bottom. Zack gets way into it.</p><p>Safe, sane, consensual, Angeal becomes quite grateful for the blindfold. Zack enjoys a nice game of give and take.</p><p>Part of the Wish Fulfilment series, but can be read alone as pwp.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wish Fulfilment [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is VC writing notes:</p><p>It is my pleasure to post this AMAZING co-written instalment in the Wish Fulfilment series, that I had the pleasure of writing together with Iciseria and CateSith. I did not think so deeply about the title of the first instalment, but now it seems to reflect the series perfectly.</p><p>Zack and Angeal gets to fulfil each other's wishes. This is a prompt fill from the comment section in the first part, and my personal wish to co-write in this amazing fandom together with Iciseria and Cate Sith has come true. Last but not least, we are all infatuated with the result. I hope you will be too. &lt;3</p><p>We are already planning the next installment.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’d like to try it again, Zack, but perhaps we could incorporate some of the items from our lists,” Angeal said as soon as Zack cracked his eyes open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d been awake for a while, mulling over what they’d done last night, picking it apart. Picking himself apart. He didn’t think it had gone as well as perhaps Zack had hoped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> certainly hadn’t done as well as he’d wanted. And he wanted to not just do this for Zack, but do this </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span> for Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Zack mumbled sleepily, grabbing Angeal’s arm and draping it over himself to revel under the comfortable weight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Angeal said simply, sounding far too awake for Zack’s taste. It wasn’t hard to forgive though, considering what Angeal was asking for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think… When I see you, when I hear you or touch you, I feel like I’m not doing my part if I’m not actively satisfying </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So, I want to try taking those options out of the equation. It seems like a blindfold, gag, and restraints would remedy that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of his own volition, Zack had used all the items separately on him, but never all at once. He’d found they’d had some merits, but he also thought they hadn’t quite hit the right spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>daddy</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zack said, a devilish smirk growing on his lips. It had become a joke between them since they’d traded their kink-lists. A nickname that Angeal certainly hadn’t agreed to. Now it was reserved for teasing purposes only.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch that filthy mouth of yours, Puppy,” Angeal said, putting on feigned chiding airs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack snorted, his grin growing wider. A low, dry, crackling sound escaped from deep within his chest as he was pulled into Angeal’s arms and his brow covered with kisses. Angeal’s stubble pricked the skin of his forehead familiarly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was chaste enough for a workday, but below the surface he could clearly feel their intense bond humming with anticipation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tonight, or later?” Zack mumbled and blinked, waking more fully, suddenly thrilled to be starting his day with Angeal’s face filling his vision. He could have sighed blissfully at the sight alone, but it seemed silly, so he let the air flow out of him as if it were any other air, any common breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have meetings scheduled late today and tomorrow. The day after?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Okay. Then it’s a date,” Zack murmured happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal hummed in agreement. Then, his lips were on him, full of morning breath with a tinge of mako, gently scraping stubble, and a world of warmth. He never wanted to leave the bed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What ensued were three long days where Zack couldn’t think of anything else. He took the liberty of texting Angeal unnecessary but “inspiring” questions, such as which gag and restraints he’d prefer. They turned sillier, asking for Angeal’s preferences of background music, which scented candle he’d like, and so on. All to ensure that their upcoming playdate was on both of their minds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal’s replies were short and to the point until he snapped and asked Zack to stop, saying that the questions were interfering too much with his work. It made Zack’s stomach flip, and it took all he had not to jump out of his chair at the meeting he was attending and do a few laps around the table. Or squats maybe. Perhaps even a little dance? But no, he just sat there like a good employee with his blood beating its demanding rhythm for things it wanted but could not yet have.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dwelled on what he’d do when the time finally arrived, the things he’d say. The opportunities seemed endless, and the thoughts had him floating through the days as if his feet never needed to touch the ground again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The afternoon before their date, Zack got absolutely nothing done. He just sat at his desk, twirling his pen, wishing that he’d had a training session scheduled instead of the tedious paperwork. He could feel his nerves winding tighter with every second. It was a sweet suffering, but suffering nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the millionth time, he imagined Angeal preparing himself for him in his apartment. The images of Angeal’s large hands on his own body, pulling himself apart, handling himself, moving through the discomfort of cleaning his insides, had him throbbing in his fatigues. There was nothing about that body he didn’t love. Nothing about that person, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced at the time, knowing full well that he was the luckiest person on Gaia, even though time was moving so very slowly for him now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, work finished and Zack all but bounded back to his apartment to get started on dinner. They’d decided on something quick and simple, something that was easy on the stomach. Coeurl steak, steamed vegetables and brown sauce. He wasn’t as avid a chef as Angeal was, but he knew this dish would be passable, mostly because he’d splurged a bit on the meat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He showered with military efficiency, simply too energetic and excited to properly enjoy the hot water. He dressed himself in a simple white t-shirt and those black jeans that hugged his ass properly. He’d caught Angeal stealing glances more than once. He skipped the boxers. He wouldn’t be wearing them for long anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then came more waiting. Angeal often talked about how quickly time passed as one got older, but Zack couldn’t relate. His time still sped up and slowed down with quite extreme contrast. The apartment, he’d already cleaned thoroughly the night before, so he busied himself by making the bed with fresh sheets to make Angeal feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. He fidgeted on his sofa, then went back to his bedroom to pick out the gear they’d decided on, lining it up neatly on the bed; rope, lube, anal beads, gag, spreader-bar, and blindfold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack knew Angeal liked it better that way. Angeal, Angeal, Angeal. He paced around his little kitchen island. He actually jumped when his doorbell finally rang. He took a deep breath before opening the door and tried his best to look composed as he opened it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angel noticed Zack’s giddiness right away. He smiled as he stepped in and handed Zack a bottle of wine, feeling a rare flutter in his stomach, and then again when Zack pecked him. Zack had a look on his face as if he were a shaken soda bottle ready to pop open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t resist pulling Zack to him by the waist and just holding him there, not giving Zack much room to back away from the feather-light kiss he’d just delivered.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s calm cracked abruptly in Angeal’s arms, and the next thing Angeal knew was the mint of Zack’s freshly brushed teeth on his tongue. It was remarkably satisfying, yet completely unsatisfying at once.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Angeal!” Zack gasped in put-on shock, prying himself out of Angeal’s embrace. Angeal’s warm, measured laughter filled the combined living room and kitchen as he let Zack drag him to the kitchen island.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love those jeans,” he murmured appreciatively as Zack set him to work on the vegetables.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Zack wasn’t smug, not yet. He’d have to be closer to the gutter before he got to smug. Instead, he just beamed one of those smiles that made Angeal’s heart beat just a little more vigorously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner was pleasant. They chit-chatted about work, the food, the latest staff gossip. Zack always got news of it first, and although Angeal didn’t like to spread gossip himself, he certainly liked to listen. He liked to know what was going on around him. If he could, he always tried to be helpful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The conversation petered out by the time their plates were cleared, leaving them sitting across from each other at the table, sipping wine and feeling the air charge with the electricity between them. Under the table, Zack’s bare feet moved against Angeal’s feet and legs. Not aggressively, but with endless affection and longing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The biggest change before and after they started dating was the amount of obvious affection Zack constantly showed Angeal. Zack was perfectly saturated with it, excreting it with every interaction, leaving it behind wherever he’d been. There was the omnipresent stroking of an arm, touching of thighs, or the smiles, big, small, and private. Though they hadn’t even begun their scene, Angeal already felt it clinging to his being, almost like a protective spell. One that only Zack could cast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready to do this?” Zack murmured softly, his bright blue eyes glittering with anticipation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. I asked for it, didn’t I?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes we ask for things that we aren’t ready for. It’s okay to back out of it at any time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Zack,” Angeal dismissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious, Angeal. Thumb to little finger, and I’ll get you out of everything right away. Thumb to middle finger to give you some time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Index finger for more. I know, Zack. I’m taking this seriously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal picked up the slight hard edge in Zack’s voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you nervous, Puppy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little, I guess, but in a good way. I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do with you for days now, you know.” Zack’s voice shifted lower as he spoke; into something hard yet flexible, strong but not rigid, naked but not brittle. The way Zack carried himself sent a shiver through Angeal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I noticed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack scraped the chair against the floor as he stood up, walking over and giving Angeal a kiss that somehow put the conversation to an end. Angeal noticed how Zack made the mood shift as he was led into the bedroom. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but he had a feeling Zack was holding back now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s steps took on airs of leisurely embellishment that inescapably drew his eyes to Zack’s pert backside straining inside those damned jeans. He was sure it wasn’t conscious; it was nothing like how Genesis had gotten when he was in a mood. Genesis was like a master craftsman in bed. Zack, on the other hand, was artless and natural. Something in it spoke volumes of Zack’s comfort and confidence, making Angeal even more determined to give himself over to Zack’s loving hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your clothes off,” Zack’s voice resonated in the small bedroom, in which the large bed took up more than half the space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir,” Angeal smirked, teasing but not mocking. It was far too enjoyable to see Zack in this new light to mock him for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The command was directed at him with some playfulness, but it still came across as more demanding than he’d expected. Clearly, Zack was toeing new ground between them, and he happily followed along, stripping himself without flair and draping his clothes over the armchair next to the inbuilt closet. That and the bedside tables were the only furniture in the room except for the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up and put the gag on.” Zack managed to hang on to the same tone, but Angeal caught the amusement and excitement playing in his eyes. There was an understanding exchanged between them, a silent agreement to enter this scene as a game they were playing together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal picked up the ball gag and held it in his hands. It was simple, black and elegant. It was also the gag he’d requested when Zack had texted. It was the only one among Zack’s gags he’d ‘recognized.’ It had looked generic enough to be familiar, and when he’d tried it, he’d found it surprisingly comfortable for what it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lie down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal placed himself on his back in the center of the large bed, taking a deep breath to savour the scent of freshly laundered sheets. It had always soothed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to tie you up now, and then I’ll do the blindfold, okay?” Zack talked while climbing onto the bed and getting started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal had chosen the jute ropes, thinking that the roughness of them would remind him of their presence so that he wouldn’t accidentally snap them. Or the bed frame, for that matter, whichever would go first. Zack looked beautifully calm as he tied each of Angeal’s wrists, the rope stretching towards the corners of the bed. He left enough slack for wiggle room and gentle tugging, but no more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Zack encouraged. “Now, bend your knees for me. I’m going to attach your ankles to the bar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal happily complied, watching Zack’s eyebrows furrow in concentration as he strapped Angeal’s ankles into the cuffs of the spreader. He was so endearingly careful, despite knowing Angeal was enhanced, and meticulously checked the tightness to prevent nerve damage or problems with circulation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal found it surprisingly anxiety-provoking to be quite so vulnerable, on his back with his legs fixed apart, but Angeal trusted Zack implicitly and did his best to relax into the bindings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay?” Zack asked with a smile, sitting down next to Angeal and lovingly tracing his face along the strap of the gag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal rolled his eyes and pressed his thumb to his index-finger, but when his gaze landed back on Zack, his eyes narrowed softly, and wrinkles appeared at their corners, indicating a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then,” Zack concluded, his grin widening as he picked up the silk blindfold from the bedside table and slid it carefully in place. He’d chosen one with a rubber band in the back, thinking that a knot might be uncomfortably lumpy if Angeal was to be on his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He inched closer to Angeal, drew in a deep breath and exhaled a happy sigh, stroking lightly over Angeal’s face, then down across his neck and chest.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I believe that you think I don’t see you properly, Angeal. But I do. I see how hard you’re trying. You might not agree, but I think it’s brave of you to do this.” Zack bent down to place little kisses along Angeal’s jaw.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I also believe that you think you’re not doing well enough, but there is no way to fail here, Angeal. You promised me scraps, leftovers of your life, but you’ve already given me so much more than that. You being here is no leftover. Please know that I see that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s soft-spoken words caught Angeal by surprise. Zack hadn’t been this talkative any of the other times they’d tried something similar. Nor had Zack been this painfully accurate, as though he had accessed each of Angeal’s thoughts and insecurities. He had half a mind to try to deflect Zack’s observations out of a sense of self-preservation. However, being gagged and bound at the moment, he couldn’t, and he found that Zack’s words bypassed all his usual barriers. He felt suddenly a lot more exposed than seconds ago. It sent a chill down his spine, but if asked, he couldn’t say for certain whether it was out of thrill or discomfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugged at the restraints, his instinct being to curl in on himself, to shift and do something, anything. Instead, he found a thumb between his brows, smoothing out the wrinkle that had formed there, Zack’s other hand placed gently over his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ssh, Angeal, I’ll take care of you now. Just like you’ve taken care of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal could feel Zack’s hair tickling his chest before a kiss landed right next to Zack’s hand. It sent a warm wave through him, and he made an effort to drain himself of tension by releasing a sigh through his nose. The point, after all, was to be at Zack’s mercy, wasn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember the first time I got to fight monsters in the wild? In the Mythril Mines?” Zack trailed his hand towards the center of Angeal’s chest in a light, diagonal line. “The crawlers and the castanets were fine, but when the ark dragon came, you took a slash right here for me.” Zack filled in the line he’d mapped out with kisses. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And here,” Zack trailed his hand to Angeal’s right upper arm, “I remember your arm got crushed when I was learning how to ride at the Chocobo Farm.” Zack kissed the patch of skin that he remembered had looked like an empty rubber hose after the chocobo he’d fallen off of had stomped on it. “Thank you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zack recounted more of their memories, showing his appreciation for them, linking them to different places on Angeal’s body and attending them with easy touches and delicate kisses. Each of them tingled Angeal’s skin, gently waking it up to Zack’s contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal remembered, but he’d never dwelled on those memories. He’d never thought of them as something special. It hadn’t really occurred to him that Zack might have. He had no idea that Zack remembered them with such detail, and to hear about it now was not at all what he’d expected. He didn’t know what to do with that, but his only option was to listen and accept Zack’s tender gratitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The longer it went on, the softer Zack’s voice became, until it was jammed full of emotions, causing the slightest of stutters. Angeal felt it too, almost as if the feelings were his own. He could feel tears collecting in the corners of his eyes, and it struck him that he was grateful to be hidden behind the blindfold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s memories worked like something of a chemical peel. Every story soaked into him and gently burned away another layer of protection, leaving him rugged and raw. He wondered to what extent Zack was aware of the effect he was having. He’d seen Zack bared in a similar sense countless times, and with that in mind, it seemed only fair that he should be equally bared in front of Zack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how anyone could know you and not love you, Angeal,” Zack said, finishing recounting his memories, “For the life of me, I don’t even think it’s possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A little snort pushed its way through Angeal’s nose, the only reply he could make. Zack ignored it and pressed a little reassuring squeeze to Angeal’s ribs before busying himself with undressing, carelessly tossing his whole sum of two pieces of clothing to the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know about you, but when I think about how much I love you I just want to fuck you senseless,” Zack murmured and pressed himself to one of Angeal’s massive thighs, deliberately letting skin move against skin as much as possible, earning a soft bow in Angeal’s back for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never fucked anyone like this before,” Zack’s voice dropped to a lower register as he reached for Angeal’s still soft member and took it in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get hard for me, Angeal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was another unexpected move, and Angeal groaned behind the gag from it. As Zack gripped him, he felt something similar to the feeling of falling, like just before falling asleep. Only this time, he was falling steeply into arousal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack didn’t do anything more, just waited for him to fill out, his grip seemingly calling all of Angeal’s blood to his now-stiffening member. If it was like this already, what the fuck was the rest of it going to be like?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Angeal.” Zack’s voice dripped onto Angeal like honey, thick, sticky and infinitely sweet, just as he was ready to bite back another groan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m hard too, Angeal,” Zack lowered his voice to little more than a whisper and leaned forward to press their erections against each other. “You’ve been on my mind for so long...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He shifted, maintaining his loose grip upon Angeal, and leaned all the way down to whisper in Angeal’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When’s the last time you thought about me and touched yourself? Think about it now.” Zack let his lips brush against the shell of Angeal’s ear, though he had to bite his lip to suppress a giggle when Angeal grunted and rolled his hips into his palm already. He’d only just gotten started! This was going to be good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you think about me all touch-starved, missing your thick cock inside me, hmm?” He easily followed all of Angeal’s futile rolls, letting him have nothing but the loose fist around his cock. It was utterly thrilling to have Angeal’s powerful body under him like that. He could hear Angeal’s pulse picking up speed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’d be right. I miss you inside me </span>
  <em>
    <span>all the time</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal grunted, turning his face towards Zack, and received the most feather-light little nips on his outstretched lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> how hard you make me come,” Zack breathed against Angeal’s mouth, humming lightly at the memory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to work you open a little now, if you’re ready,” Zack warned, waiting for a nod from Angeal before swiping his tongue over Angeal’s bottom lip and climbing off to grab the lube.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went on to prepare Angeal without ever tightening his grip around Angeal’s cock, keeping his touches minimal. He didn’t intend for the stretching to be a focal point. He had other ideas for that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love touching you here,” he said quietly as he slid his slicked fingers over Angeal’s opening, beginning to apply pressure to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be good; relax for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal could feel his chest rising and falling quicker. Zack had never talked to him like that before. His voice was so steady, soothing, intimate and… demanding. It brought Zack’s ability to give and take at once to the forefront of his mind. Perhaps it was one of Zack’s greatest skills. He could feel his body warming in response to Zack’s demands, and he did the best to lean in to that feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it, just like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Angeal thought. Did the praise really just send a shiver down his spine? He could feel Zack shifting a little against his thigh, and it was easy to imagine the smug look on Zack’s face. It was the first time he’d forgotten about the gag and tried to talk back. Of course nothing but garbled sounds left him, and he quickly quieted, feeling heat rising on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His imagination was wrong, though. Zack wasn’t looking at Angeal in any sort of smug way. His expression would be better described as reverential.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal’s train of thought derailed the instant Zack’s finger pressed inside him. He wasn’t warmed up enough for it to feel particularly good, but he was longing so terribly to feel more of Zack that being entered still left him with a deep sense of satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack stretched Angeal in a steady and methodical manner, careful yet firm. Once he was satisfied that he would cause no actual pain, he slicked up a few of the beads and began to gently press the first against Angeal’s rim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ssh… keep breathing, Angeal,” he coaxed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was strange, Angeal noted, how his voice could be so gentle and so commanding at once, so much at odds with the boyish excitement it had once held. Something about the tone made him want to follow wherever Zack’s voice would lead, and if breathing was what Zack had requested, then breathing was what he would do. That didn’t stop him from groaning against the gag as the first sphere was pressed inside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hips shifted on their own as a second and third bead were pushed in. Their heavy weight maintained a constant pressure, his body unsure whether to pull them deeper or try to rid itself of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack watched with aroused interest as the powerful man before him squirmed with the toy’s insertion. By the time the third was in, Angeal seemed unable to contain his movements, and Zack decided three was enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold still, Angeal,” he commanded, gripping the spreader bar and shaking it, recapturing Angeal’s attention. A firm tug on the bar, and Angeal’s legs were forced to extend, his writhing to cease. “You’re being so good for me. Show me how you’re doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spell of Zack’s words washed over him, and he found himself settling against the mattress, though it created a unique awareness of the toy now trapped within. Still, he pressed his thumbs to the tips of his forefingers and immediately felt Zack’s hands trail up his chest, rubbing over muscles in a way that seemed to draw heat to the surface of his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angeal, I want to taste you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Angeal felt Zack’s lips on his neck, warm and wet at first, before he was suckling, nipping, seemingly working himself up as much as Angeal. Gradually, Zack moved his kisses down, making them softer again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel Zack’s warm, slightly sped up, moist breath over his pecs, nearing his nipples, which immediately hardened, pulling his skin taut. He didn’t usually think of them as particularly sensitive, but when he had nothing to do but feel, his nerves seemed to be hypersensitized, ready to fire at the smallest sensations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zack was licking them, sucking them playfully in his mouth, all while pressing their lower bodies together. He wished he could do something, pull Zack in for a kiss, reverse their positions, do the same to Zack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, he found his train of thought yanked away by Zack scratching his fingernails over the other side of his chest, slow, hard and measured. If Angeal hadn’t been blindfolded already, he was sure his vision would be faltering. When he felt the sting of Zack biting his nipple there was an unexpected sensation of lightning radiating from the bite straight to his groin, and a muted, gravelly moan made its way around the gag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, moan for me.” Zack moved to straddle one of Angeal’s thighs, rubbing his hardness against it, letting his voice spill freely before he bit down on Angeal’s nipple again, harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal was properly squirming under him now, and it made Zack dizzy. He could not get enough of Angeal, the smell of his favourite soap and his clean taste. He kept taking Angeal’s flesh between his teeth, moving lower, leaving red patches and indents from his teeth behind. He wished they didn’t fade quite so quickly. He practically whined from the way Angeal’s body was vibrating under him, pushing them both away from the mattress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, Angeal, I want your cock in my mouth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite that, he moved right past Angeal’s wonderfully dripping member, adjusting himself to Angeal’s side and placing his kisses along the deep furrow between the muscles of Angeal’s thigh. Gods, he would do anything to earn his place between those legs, where he could caress them, wrap them around himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>worship</span>
  </em>
  <span> them the way he wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal felt as if every kiss, bite, and nip were shutting down his higher brain functions. Behind the blindfold, the world turned speckled red, with bursts of other colours bleeding into it in time with Zack pressing his potent presence against his skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The agonizingly loose grip Zack’d had around his now throbbing member returned, and then Zack was gently tugging on the beads, not enough to remove them with Angeal’s legs flat against the sheets, but enough to cause more sparks of pleasure to radiate from the inside out. He could feel his own breaths catching in his windpipe, the rope biting into his wrists and the cuffs rubbing against his ankles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tossing his head at the myriad of pleasures overwhelming him, Angeal tried to thrust his hips for the friction he was being denied. It caused the weight within him to shift, pressing into new places and perpetuating the storm of sensations that assaulted him so deliciously. Yet, rather than grant him the reward he sought, his movements earned him even less contact, and he huffed in frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patience, Angeal,” Zack teased, his voice a mixture of light playfulness and firm command. “It makes me so hard to see you like this. I don’t want it to be over yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a high-ranking commander, being out of control was a unique and disorienting situation for Angeal, but he found himself succumbing to it willingly. He forced his body to still and his breathing to slow. As he focused, he could hear another sound over the hammering of his heart against his ribs. A wet sound. A slow, but rhythmic one. His prior love for the blindfold changed quickly to hatred, and he turned his head in the direction of the noises as if it would let him see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm, yes, I know you can hear that. I’m touching myself,” Zack said breathily, aware of Angeal trying to track his presence. “Do you want to taste?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reflexively, Angeal tried to swallow, but found it challenging with the ball between his teeth. Was he being baited? How would he be able to taste with this in place? Though, he supposed that was not for him to decide, and that was the point, wasn’t it? Gradually relaxing into his role of helpless pleasure, Angeal nodded and waited to see how his reply would be taken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack was thankful for the blindfold because it allowed him uninterrupted time to gaze upon Angeal and take in all that he was. He watched each flex of powerful muscle and listened to each stuttered breath. A smile broke over Zack’s face. A smile of joy, of arousal, of awe. He stroked himself slowly, savoring the moment. At Angeal’s nod, Zack milked a fat drop of precome from his own tip and smeared his thumb in it liberally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, Angeal. This is what you’re doing to me,” he said, slipping his fluid-coated thumb into the corner of Angeal’s mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The flavor of salt and bitterness tinged Angeal’s palate as he felt Zack slip a digit beside the gag. He hummed in approval and proceeded to lave his tongue over the small bit of flesh he was given access to. He traced the short nail and teased every bump and ridge, marveling at how much more he could feel when his vision and movements were limited. Never would Angeal have imagined he would derive such delight from something as miniscule as licking Zack’s thumb, but he found himself cherishing even this small act.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah… Angeal,” Zack panted, stroking himself quicker. “You feel so good.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps a little too good, he began to realize. The sight, the sound, the sensation. It was all pushing him toward the edge a little faster than he’d anticipated. “I want to come inside of you. Will you let me do that, Angeal? Will you open up for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moan and enthusiastic nod he got in response was all the encouragement he needed. Zack hurried to bend Angeal’s legs and undo the spreader bar from his ankles so he could at last take his place between those beautiful legs. With hands shaking from barely-restrained excitement, he pulled on the strand of beads, perhaps not quite as gently as he’d intended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal cried out, or tried to, at the sudden, intense shift within him. He clenched instinctively, nerves already oversensitive from Zack’s ministrations, and he jolted as the beads were tugged free one by one despite his resistance. It left him quivering and panting, his hands scrabbling uselessly for a hold with which to ground himself. Then, he was being calmed. A light, apologetic kiss was pressed to his inner thigh and slow circles were rubbed into his hip, soothing him until the moment passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Zack apologized guiltily, giving Angeal time to recover from the accidental roughness. He hoped he hadn’t just ruined the entire experience for either of them. Damn his own impatience! “You give me a sign when you’re ready, okay? And if you want to be done, that’s okay too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Done? No! Angeal wasn’t close to done. He’d been surprised, more than anything, but that didn’t mean he was done. He tried to mumble out the words to say so, but was thwarted by the gag. To make his point, he pressed his thumbs to his forefingers, spread his legs farther, and pulled a knee toward his chest in what he hoped Zack would understand was an invitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sense of relief washed over Zack at Angeal’s reaction, and he silently thanked the gods he hadn’t fucked this up beyond repair. He coated his twitching arousal with lube and kissed a long trail up Angeal’s body until he was nudging at the man’s puckered flesh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal nodded and rocked his hips toward Zack insistently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Zack pushed forward, hissing as he felt snug rings of muscle part around him. It was a struggle to keep his eyes from rolling back in pleasure, but he fought to keep his focus on Angeal, watching for any signs of discomfort. Fortunately, there were none. Just a telltale flush of desire, sex-mussed hair, and the lightest sheen of sweat. And maybe, just maybe, the slight curve of a contented smile, though it was hard to tell around the gag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, Angeal…” Zack breathed once he was fully seated within the warm confines of Angeal’s body. “You feel so good around my cock. So hot, so tight. Like your body was made for mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal couldn’t do much else but to let up a throaty, drawn out groan as his flesh yielded for Zack. This time the stretch was softer, warmer but also more intense than the beads had been. His body tensed up involuntarily and it made him bite down around the gag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t as if Zack had never fucked him before, but the way every fraction of an inch of Zack’s advancement sparked pinks, baby blues and pale yellows to dance on the back of his eyelids, that was new.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he didn’t have any option other than to just let himself experience whatever Zack was doing to him, it seemed that Zack’s every point of contact with his skin etched furrows from which his feelings for Zack could well up. It was as if Zack was chiseling out the love from his body, making it tangible and substantial; real, in a way, that it hadn’t felt to him before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was eye-opening. It made him understand the way Zack felt about him on an instinctual level. More than that, it made something about Zack’s sexual preferences slip into place, because it was a gift to feel things with such clarity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With all that, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that he found himself a drowning man when Zack’s moderation began to slip. He could feel Zack’s temperature rising inside him, or perhaps it was just the burn from Zack’s increasingly intense thrusts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s hands on his hips twisted and turned him, pushed and pulled until Zack managed to hit that spot inside him that made him inhale such a sharp breath he was sure he’d have pulled the ball in his mouth into his throat if it hadn’t been attached to straps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Moan for me, Angeal,” Zack said, his voice rugged with arousal. His hands raked feverishly over Angeal’s thighs, finding that his palms could not satisfy his need for them. So, he dug into them with his fingernails, soothed by the knowledge that at least some thin, unseen, peeled off part of them, became his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yes, Angeal moaned low in his chest, the sound affecting Zack bluntly, demanding him to release.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck Angeal, I’m close! I’m going to make you so full.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Expending the last of his composure, Zack leaned down, letting his weight pile on top of Angeal while he ran his hand over Angeal’s shoulder and along his arm to his palm, which he stroked tenderly. It elicited another, more surprised grunt around the gag, before Angeal’s hand grasped Zack’s in a warm and caring gesture of deep connection, a silent check-in that they both needed. After a strong squeeze, Angeal slowly pressed his thumb to his index finger, and then let his hand fall back against the steadying mattress underneath him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The intensity of the gentle exchange in the midst of all the burning heat encouraged Zack to slow down, determined to fuck all of his affection and reverence into Angeal. Time after time he crashed their bodies together, always aiming for that spot which made Angeal squirm, grunt and stutter his breath, holding himself back in favour of making Angeal snap. He was careful though, to keep his weight off that wonderful, engorged limb that dribbled so delectably between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He managed to wind up Angeal’s grunts into desperate, hoarse groans, each of which threatened to push him over the edge. Only the will to keep Angeal suspended in such exquisite, helpless pleasure made him hang on. He could barely take in the glory of Angeal’s sweat-sheened muscles rippling under him, and he was beginning to suspect that the ropes would be torn if he kept it up. And that was a fine thing to aim for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make me come,” Zack urged, and wrapped Angeal’s legs around his waist, stopping all his own movements. A few silent beats passed, filled only by Angeal’s rugged breaths before Angeal broke into a frustrated moan and pulled Zack into himself with as much force as he thought Zack could take.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The feeling of such muscular thighs embracing him and directing him was as heady as Zack had anticipated, driving him both deeper and higher simultaneously. Despite being the one with his senses free and body unrestrained, he somehow found himself at Angeal’s mercy, both powerless and safe at once. It made his heart race and his arms quiver, fanning the blaze that already roared in his groin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dug his fingers into whatever he could find with bruising force, clamoring for something to which he could anchor himself as orgasm crashed through him like a thunderstorm through Gongagan skies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though it hardly seemed like the right mood for it, he broke into his easy, uncontrollable laughter. If it weren’t for the strong hands steadying him, he likely would have collapsed onto the man below him thanks to the sheer power of the convulsions wracking his body. Except… strong hands shouldn’t have been able to steady him. Strong hands should have been bound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In between waves of pleasure, he cracked his eyes open to see frayed rope loosely attached to Angeal’s wrists. It gave his laughter direction, morphing it into a contented celebration over pushing Angeal far enough to break his bonds. He laughed until his body stilled, and the room turned quiet again, their respective breaths the only sound. His, deep and sated, and Angeal’s, still shallow and unfulfilled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just a little sooner than Zack had expected, he felt one of those strong, newly freed hands guide one of Zack’s to Angeal’s still-twitching member. A corner of Angeal’s mouth drew upwards as he deliberately gave the index-finger-to-thumb signal. The smile that flitted to Zack’s face was one of delight and mischief, love and awe. He’d been so worried that Angeal was only playing along for his benefit, but this was as clear an indicator as any that Angeal was sincerely </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoying </span>
  </em>
  <span>the scenario.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took advantage of that indicator, grabbing his lover’s aching cock and whispering throatily, “I want to hear you beg me, Angeal. If I take the gag out, can I trust that the only words you say will be used to beg me to let you come?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal made a noise that could have been a whimper, and for that reason alone, he was reluctant to give up the black bit that kept whatever embarrassing noises he made stifled. Yet in this moment, he could deny Zack nothing, so he nodded and felt the gag be pulled from his swollen lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he could, he experimentally ran his tongue against the surfaces of his mouth, re-familiarizing himself with the emptiness of his mouth that he’d taken for granted up until now. It felt strange, sore, almost bruised. But… in a good way? Gods, what was Zack doing to him? He rolled his lower lip between his teeth to wet it, which conveniently allowed him to hide a smile while collecting himself for the task at hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Zack,” he pleaded in a way he had never pleaded before, his voice hoarse from the medley of unintelligible sounds he’d been making behind the gag. “I want to come. Please... It hurts....” It was begging, and it was embarrassing. But it felt so good because he knew Zack wanted it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack let out a soft sound, something between a hum and a blissed-out sigh at Angeal’s unusual compliancy as he once again took his place between Angeal’s legs. He let the sight of his release dribbling out of Angeal’s hole burn into his memory, and before he even knew what he was doing, was pushing three fingers into Angeal’s irresistible, soaked warmth, aiming firm pressure for Angeal’s most sensitive spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angeal,” Zack breathed, failing to hide his reverence, “you’re so wet and slick. Does it feel good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal gave up a sweet, tortured groan, a give-away of the fight for control he was having with himself. He didn’t manage to stop his hips from rolling, desperately trying for more. More of </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Zack mumbled, finally taking Angeal’s straining cock in hand, feeling a shiver of satisfaction from the way it instantly bucked and eagerly overflowed with clear liquid. Angeal’s muscles gleamed with sweat now, and a soft powdered blush on his cheeks, neck and chest. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Angeal quite so aroused before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angeeaal,” Zack worded in a blatant tease, while letting his hand glide down to stay in a firm grip around Angeal’s base and moving his fingers inside to make gloriously sloppy sounds, “I want to feel you come all over my face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A fraction of a second later, he’d taken all of Angeal’s straining flesh into his mouth, swallowing down around all that wetness, instantly setting a brutal pace, working over Angeal’s engorged length in every pleasurable way that he knew, aiming to overwhelm, overtake and overthrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He demanded the full attention of Angeal’s entire being, and he received it. Angeal’s hands came to grip his hair in tight fists, giving the impression of anxious desperation. Underneath him, Angeal’s muscles strung up like a thousand bows. Above him Angeal’s breath hitched, trying to gasp his name, but the endeavour was quickly given up. Instead, a most desperate rumble built deep in Angeal’s chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Zack realised Angeal was still restraining his voice, he slowed his movements to slide off of the throbbing flesh that he loved so much for the pleasure it allowed him to bring to his most beloved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make the sounds, Angeal,” he said with absolute command. No reply was needed. He could feel the shiver of resignation move through his lover, and he descended once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time Angeal welcomed his mouth with a raw, moist crackling moan, and Zack knew that he finally had Angeal exactly where he wanted him. He gently drew back on the rhythm, only to build it up again, one hand working inside, the other stroking, and mouth enclosing the sensitive head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The richness of Angeal’s voice had black spots dancing in the periphery of Zack’s vision. Of course he’d always dreamed of having Angeal like this, but now that it was happening, the splendor of Angeal’s majestic body winding up for him made him think his chest would burst open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take long before he could feel the telltale signs of Angeal’s approaching orgasm. It was in the small changes of how the muscles of his groin contracted, and the deep and frenzied breaths. He wanted so badly to make Angeal feel every bit as good as Angeal always made him feel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come now,” Zack said, finding himself oddly serene, strengthened by the knowledge that he’d managed to bring Angeal to this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the simple command, Angeal felt like Zack was directing his energy, collecting it all in a single focus point in his groin. It happened at the expense of comprehending what Zack was doing. All that was left was the sense of Zack’s hot, wet, presence, around and inside, but he couldn’t tell where it began or ended any longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear the vibrations of his own body reflected in his voice, with the embarrassingly loud moan that was building with the onslaught of his orgasm. It hit him like an explosion, filling his world with light, warmth and a myriad of colours. The intensity of it took him by surprise and made him feel lost in a way that was unsettling. Then Zack’s soft, pleasure-filled hum drifted to him. Just like that, the feeling of being lost was swapped to being found, and his next burst of liquid pleasure erupted with more blinding colours behind his eyelids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coming down from his high took longer than normal, and when he did, Zack’s soft chuckles were there to greet him. As soon as he tore off his blindfold, he saw Zack’s smiling face covered with the dripping, white proof of his own satisfaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s eyes, aglow with rapture, were powerful enough to make Angeal’s breath catch, the weight of the young man’s gaze heavy enough to pin him in place, despite the restraints being gone. Angeal found that he couldn’t do anything but watch, breathlessly, as Zack collected the evidence with his fingers and licked it off hungrily, as though it were a finely crafted desert. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Angeal could rouse himself to move again, he helped Zack with the task, and suddenly there were so many fingers in Zack’s mouth that he was giggling at the absurdity of it. The intensity waned and the atmosphere became lighter and more playful. Zack hovered above him with a mischievous smile, and Angeal pulled him closer still to kiss the lips that had given him so much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal wanted to say something, but it was so very hard to find any suitable words. The feeling that settled into his body was something more akin to waking after a long sleep or the heavy calm that settled in after a heavy workout. It was not what he usually felt after sex, and frankly, he felt a bit dumber than usual. Perhaps Zack could see that, as he was the one who took it upon himself to ease out of the cocoon that they’d wrapped themselves in during their little play-session to grab a washcloth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me take care of you!” Zack laughed when he returned, nudging Angeal back towards the pillows. The man had barely finished shuddering through his aftershocks and was already trying to sit up and fuss over who even knew what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>already</span>
  </em>
  <span> take care of me?” Angeal asked, allowing himself to be pushed back down without fight or fanfare. His body went limp while Zack massaged gently at his wrists, rubbing away the soreness and redness from where the ropes had pulled before they’d snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack chuckled, still high on the endorphin rush of getting everything he’d wanted. “Not like this,” he answered, placing chaste kisses along the indents in Angeal’s skin. “This is… different. Are you complaining?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmmm, no,” Angeal hummed. He’d read about this part, the aftercare, the art of gently bringing somebody back down to Gaia so they didn’t drop too quickly and crash. If he were honest, he’d put a lot of thought into it, unsure what, if anything, he would require. “But has it occurred to you that perhaps one of my needs is being able to reciprocate and take care of you as well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack paused in the middle of toweling off the mess of fluids he’d left between Angeal’s legs to consider the point. It truly wasn’t a thought he’d considered, but now that the idea was there, it seemed so </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> Angeal. “No,” he admitted, honestly. “But I’m happy that you told me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal held his arms out expectantly, and Zack was quick to oblige. Angeal pulled the smaller form close enough that the head of spiky hair was nestled under his chin, warm and sated. He rubbed slow circles into Zack’s back, feeling the smaller man’s heart beat through his ribs and soaking in a deep well of contentment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A web of peacefulness seemed to spin itself around them, and it muted out the rest of their surroundings, as though the entire world consisted only of their bodies and the heat exchanged between them. Skin caressed skin, each embraced the other, and breaths grew steady and even. It was a true state of calm, a state that SOLDIERs rarely had the pleasure of finding, much less enjoying, and both savored it for everything it was worth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Enveloped in the warm sense of security, a nagging thought began to bubble to the surface of Angeal’s mind. He had been trying to find a way to bring it up, but had been unsure how or when to approach it. Now, with all of their walls down and defenses discarded it seemed like the natural moment to have a raw and honest conversation, though he knew it came with risk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was doing a little reading, pup,” Angeal lied, the words coming out a bit rushed. ‘A little’ reading was like saying the northern continent was ‘a little’ cold. “I still think it would be best if you continued exploring some of this with other people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s face fell, and he opened his mouth to protest. Angeal didn’t give him a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not </span>
  </em>
  <span>sex. I would prefer being exclusive in that regard. But perhaps some of the activities that don’t involve sex would still be best done with somebody more experienced, at least for now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The suggestion brought Zack pause. It wasn’t unheard of. In fact, it was quite common in clubs, where performances held certain modesty requirements or when people were new and exploring. Perhaps that would be a reasonable compromise. Though, Angeal wasn’t the only one who’d been thinking about compromises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could be open to that,” Zack admitted with some hesitation. “I… I had an idea too. But, we don’t have to or anything. It was just a thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal hummed softly, and stroked the younger man’s reddening cheek. “What was it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack worried at his lip for another few moments, but finally came out with it. “I know you’re new to this, and I’m still learning some of it too. What if we invited somebody more experienced to join us? Somebody we both agreed on? Then, we could learn together.” He wanted to bury his face in his hands as soon as he said it, but knew he needed to watch Angeal’s expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal was careful not to let the surprise show on his face. He didn’t know why it surprised him. It was a thoughtful suggestion, obviously something Zack had pondered deeply. He hummed softly, buying himself time to let his feelings settle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you have someone in mind?” he brought himself to ask. From the sound and look of Zack, he was almost certain that the younger man did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I do,” Zack said with a smile that was tinged with tension. “I’d like to check with him to see if he’d be interested. Would that be ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Angeal hummed a contented affirmation, put the whole thing aside and went back to fully enjoying Zack’s weight on top of him, carding his hands through black spikes and enjoying the tickle of Zack’s breath against his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack gave a relaxed sigh. He’d been debating whether to bring this ‘someone’ up with Angeal or not. Perhaps he should have done it sooner. It was hard to say. Either way, the timing seemed right, and it was probably going to be better in the long run if Angeal knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Altogether, everything about the night had been perfect, from the dinner, to the passionate scene, to the conversation, and he felt so very lucky to be lulled to sleep in such a complete state of happiness within Angeal’s arms.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Illustration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's just a NSFW piccie. I'm putting it separately in case you like your brain movie better.  &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holiday greetings from VC:</p><p>Well, I’m not a personal fan of Christmas for many reasons, but I am a fan of giving good gifts. Though I do not know all of you who read the smut that I’ve dished out, I hope that this fic finds you well in the weird holiday season of 2020.</p><p>Even if this is not the best Christmas of our lives, I’d like to thank you all for the feedback, interesting discussions and distractions you have given me. It has been one of the most enjoyable things for me this year. Thank you for all that. Merry Christmas. &lt;3</p><p>CateSith’s holiday wishes: happy weird holidays to all, and to all a good night. Thank you to this community for being a glimmer of light in these dark, dark times ❤️</p><p>Iciseria: I think few people have gotten what they asked for in 2020, but here's to hoping at least Zack and Angeal did.  May this little slice of smut make your holiday just a little brighter!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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